Easier to Run
by Stormy Eaton
Summary: It’s Ryou’s birthday and he’s starting to have to unpleasant memories...who’d expect it’s his evil Yami who comforts him? RyouxBakura Songifc Please R&R!


Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the song 'Easier to Run.' They belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Linkin Park, respectively.

Summary: It's Ryou's birthday and he's starting to have to unpleasant memories...who'd expect it's his evil Yami who comforts him? RyouxBakura Songifc Please R&R!

_It's easier to run_

_Replacing this pain with something numb._

_It's so much easier to go_

_Than face all this pain here all alone._

Why am I having all these horrible memories? Every time my birthday comes around, I feel suddenly so alone. My mother and sister...well, there isn't much I can do about their being gone. My father...I don't think he cares anymore. Sure, he sends me a present and a card, but I think he feels it's more of a duty than a display of parental affection. Ah, well. I'm stuck with these horrible, awful thoughts now...and I'm making myself depressed.

_Something has been taken _

_From deep inside of me_

_A secret I've kept locked away_

_No one can ever see._

_Wounds so deep they never show, _

_They never go away-_

_Like moving pictures in my head._

_For years and years they've played._

Who gets to choose the people who leave your Life? Why are mothers so often the most popular to go? Her picture stares sadly at me from the frame on my bedside table. My eyes are filling now, and my mother's face becomes a blur. Tears spill over my cheeks, falling on the wooden floor. My sister now creeps into my memory. She was my best friend... She will always hold a special place in my heart as my sister, and my guardian. I have a new guardian now, and I feel his presence behind me. His aura of dark power makes me shiver, and my sobs rack my whole body.

_If I could change I would,_

_Take back the pain I would,_

_Retrace every wrong move that I made I would._

_If I could_

_Stand up and take the blame I would._

_If I could take all the shame to the grave I_

_Would._

I don't want him to see me like this...he will scold me again. I know I'm weak, but he wouldn't understand my losses. He has not a care for any one other than himself. He is his own love, his own God. He sees no importance in the lives of humans - especially humans I care about. I can feel his hands on my shoulders and I squeeze my eyes shut.

_Sometimes I remember _

_The Darkness of my Past-_

_Bringing back these memories_

_I wish I didn't have._

_Sometimes I think of letting go_

_And never looking back,_

_And never moving forward so_

_There would never be a Past._

"Shh...don't cry," he tells me, softly. I gasp and his arms move down my chest so that his head rests on my right shoulder lightly. I dare to look at him, and see that he is staring out past the floor, his eyes filed with a pain I had never known he had the misfortune of bearing. He looks at me, smiling sadly.

"I know how you feel, Love. You're not the only one who hurts sometimes, you know," he whispers in my ear. Love? Where did that come from? I feel the knot in my throat tighten again, and my sobs come out, choking the words I wanted to say. I can simply cry into my Yami's shirt as he quietly strokes my back, with a compassion so uncharacteristic of him.

_Just washing it aside-_

_All of the helplessness inside-_

_Pretending I don't feel misplaced_

_Is so much simpler than change._

"Bakura...I...I feel so alone. I don't know what's wrong with me.... My father hasn't called, and none of my friends, either....my mother-" I choke again at this point, and sniff uncontrollably.

"I know. You don't have to tell me. But you're not alone. I'm here for you. I know I don't always show my appreciation, but I couldn't exist without you. Your body sustains me, so I have no choice, I have to stay. Anyway, is today something special? I know you looked at your calendar this morning, at the place with the red circle, and you got a package.... what is it?" I hesitate to answer him. What would he say?

"It's my birthday," I respond, nervously. His eyes grow wide, and then turn back to normal as he prompts me to speak of my troubles, somewhat ignoring what I just told him.

_It's easier to run_

_Replacing this pain with something numb._

_It's so much easier to go_

_Than face all this pain here all alone._

"I-I've been running away from my problems, but around this time of year, they always seem to surface. I push them all down inside of me, but they end up attacking me all at once, all my pain enveloping me at once. My fear of being totally alone..." I explain to him now, more comfortable to speak with him. I'm leaning against his shoulder and I can feel his face moving through my hair.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you," he whispers, surprising me yet again. My stomach knots as he gently lifts my face to look into his. His eyes seem wet, more emotional than usual, and he presses his forehead against my own. His fingers tenderly brush away my tears as his lips close over my own. I slip into sudden semi-consciousness, as his mouth softly journeys from my own to my cheek and up into my hair.

"Happy Birthday, Ryou-Chan," he whispers and departs, leaving me with the best birthday present ever. I watch him leave and hug myself, feeling like a sudden weight has been extracted from my torso. There is no reason to run anymore. I'm not alone. I can smile again - for real, this time.

Fin


End file.
